A former Real Madrid official has disclosed that the Spanish club was offered the opportunity to sign Lionel Messi in 2001 but turned it down to avoid damaging relations with Barcelona.
The revelation comes from Madrid Universal, which reported on Friday that the Argentine prodigy was presented to Real Madrid during his early years at Barcelona's La Masia academy. According to the former official, the club's leadership decided against pursuing the transfer because they did not want to sever ties with their historic rivals.
Messi, who was 14 at the time, would go on to become Barcelona's all-time leading scorer and win numerous titles with the Catalan club before departing for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021. The decision not to sign him is now regarded as one of the most significant missed opportunities in football history.
